Paisley whipped her front door open just as Lauren rounded the staircase and reached her floor.

“You’re here!” Paisley shrieked.

“I’m here!” Lauren exclaimed with a giggle.

Paisley hugged her friend tight and pulled her into the studio apartment. Lauren’s red hair was in a loose braid. Her cheeks were round and her eyes shone.

“You look amazing,” Paisley said. “Whatever you’ve been doing, keep it up.”

“Hah.” Lauren set her purse on the floor next to the couch. “I slept eleven hours last night.”

“Whaaat?” Paisley opened her fridge. “Sit down. Sparkling water? I have cherry or plain.”

“Yes, please. Either.” Lauren got cozy on the couch, kicking her shoes off and crossing her legs with a pleased sigh.

“Why did you sleep eleven hours?” Paisley asked, pouring two glasses of sparkling water. “I mean, what led to that?”

She brought the glasses to the coffee table that also served as an informal dining area. In such a small space, you had to make things work. Though she had a thin high top table by the fridge, Paisley had also set some wide cushions in front of the coffee table, and these had ended up being her favorite seats.

“I slept eleven hours because I had to,” Lauren said. “It’s been crazy.”

“Wow, I bet. But you guys are still spending the summer in Sweet Tree, right?”

As newlyweds, Lauren and her husband Noah still worked on finding the balance of living on two coasts. There was their house in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, which sat next door to Noah’s parents and grandmother’s home, and the tiny house they had just built in upstate New York on Lauren’s parents’ big cat sanctuary.

“I am, yeah.” Lauren nodded.

“But what about Noah?”

Lauren’s lips twisted. “He’s been reading some scripts and I think he’s going a little stir crazy not working.”

Paisley laughed. “Wasn’t he just going on and on about how he needs a break?”

Lauren rolled her eyes. “I know, right?”

“We’re all like that. I moan about work all the time, but I think I would lose my mind if I didn’t have somewhere to be five days a week.”

“Have you talked to Nicole?” Lauren asked.

“Not for a few days…” Paisley mentally ran back through the last week. “At least.”

“She’s coming for the Reflection of Infinity premiere. Aidan, too.”

Paisley gasped and clapped her hands. “Are you serious? What about Silvi?”

“They’re bringing a babysitter with them.”

Paisley lightly drummed the coffee table. “So we’re going to get crazy, right? I mean, what kind of after-party are we talking about here?”

“As if.” Lauren laughed. “Since when does Nicole like parties?”

“She has a baby now. The girl is going to be in desperate need of letting her hair down and hitting the dance floor.” Paisley ran her thumb down her lips and thought some more. “What should I wear?”

“You follow all the movies,” Lauren said. “Don’t you see pictures from the red carpet?”

“I see what the celebrities wear,” Paisley pointed out. “And all their assistants. They’re always in black, for some reason. What are you wearing?”

Lauren flipped her hand and looked away. “Some designer thing Noah’s mom helped me pick out.”

Paisley snorted. “Oh, poor you in your designer dress.”

Lauren stuck her tongue out.

“So, when are Nic and Aidan getting here?” Paisley asked.

“The morning of the premiere. Oh, hey. Noah and I thought it would be nice if you wanted to bring someone to the premiere.”

“Yeah, that would be awesome.” Paisley shrugged. “Mom doesn’t come into the city much, but I know she would drive in for this.”

“Actually, we were thinking you might like to bring, you know, a guy.”

“Like a date?” Paisley asked.

“Yeah.”

Paisley bit her lip. “Man, I really wish I could do that.”

“Why can’t you?”

“Because to take a guy somewhere you have to know a guy,” Paisley pointed out.

“You live in New York City!” Lauren cried.

“Yeah, and for some reason it’s still hard to find a decent person.”

“Okay, what about…” Lauren waved her hand in a circular motion, looking for ideas. “You’re always on that movie review site chatting with people. Is there anyone on there that lives in the city?”

Alex.

Paisley drew her bottom lip between her teeth. “There is one person, but I kind of suggested we meet up before, and it didn’t seem like he wanted to.”

Lauren scrunched her face. “So, that means he’s never seen a picture of you, right?”

“Very funny.”

“Is he cute?” Lauren asked.

“I don’t know. I know he’s only a few years older than us, though.”

“That’s what he says,” Lauren pointed out.

“Right.” Paisley thought of all the lengthy and insightful conversations she’d had with Alex. “I’m inclined to believe him, though.”

“What did you invite him to?”

“To catch a movie,” Paisley said.

“This isn’t just any movie we’re going to,” Lauren said. “It’s a premiere.”

“I know.” Paisley’s heart thudded with excitement. She wasn’t into celebrity culture at all, but there were a great deal of actors and filmmakers she admired. Maybe one of them would be at Noah’s premiere and she would get to pick their brain.

“Invite him to this,” Lauren said. “Do you think he’ll really say no?”

“I wouldn’t.” Paisley took her phone out and looked at it. With the app she and Alex chatted on, you could send messages whether a person was online or not. Currently, the app verified him as off.

“I’ll message him now,” Paisley said.

She typed out a quick message, telling him she was going to the Reflection of Infinity New York premiere and she would love him to come with her if he could. Hitting send, she put the phone face down on the table. A bit of nausea squirmed up her chest and Paisley realized she really didn’t want to be turned down.

“Does he know you know Noah?” Lauren asked.

“No.”

Lauren nodded. She understood that the celebrity lifestyle wasn’t for everyone and she never got on Paisley’s case for wanting to avoid it.

Paisley’s phone beeped and they looked at each other. Picking it up she found a message from Alex.

ALEX: The Reflection of Infinity premiere, huh? Impressive.

Conscious of Lauren’s gaze on her, Paisley typed back.

PAISLEY: That’s right. The movie you said didn’t look good.

“What did he say?” Lauren asked.

“He didn’t give me an answer yet. Hold on.”

PAISLEY: I thought this would be a good opportunity to prove you wrong.

Dots bounced on the screen and Paisley waited for Alex’s answer… but then they disappeared. She stared at the phone, its inactivity pulling her lips down into a frown.

“Do you have anything to eat?” Lauren asked, standing up and going for the corner of the room that housed the kitchen.

“Uh, leftover pizza. Watermelon.” Paisley couldn’t take her eyes off the phone.

Again came the dots that showed he typed.

ALEX: Are you sure you want me coming with you?

Paisley’s mouth went dry. What was he talking about?

PAISLEY: Of course I am. I know we’ve never met in person, but I love talking with you, Alex. The premiere will be fun, I’m sure.

“How old is this pizza?” Lauren asked from across Paisley’s shoulder. The fridge shut. “Never mind. It doesn’t matter. Is he still talking to you?”

“Yeah,” Paisley said slowly. “But I don’t get it…”

A new message appeared.

ALEX: Perhaps we should meet first. That way, you can decide whether you truly want me to attend the premiere with you or not.

“It’s like he thinks I’ll be ashamed of being seen with him or something,” Paisley said.

Lauren stood on the thin line of tiles and took a bite of pizza. “What’s the matter with him?”

Paisley shook her head. “He’s never said.”

“Perhaps he has a physical problem that he’s embarrassed of?”

“Maybe,” Paisley said. “But he shouldn’t be. We’ve been talking all this time and we get along really well. I’ll be fine, no matter how he looks.”

“Tell him that.”

“I am.” Paisley typed fast.

PAISLEY: I consider you my friend, Alex. If you want to meet with me before the screening, then okay. We can do that. I already know what my decision will be, though.

Paisley bit her lip and waited. She couldn’t say why, exactly, but this whole thing felt personal. Alex thinking she would be ashamed to be seen with him--or afraid of him, or whatever--kind of hurt. She wasn’t that shallow of a person.

If only he would give her a chance to show that.

ALEX: Yes, I would like that. I am busy all week, but let’s meet before the screening.

PAISLEY: Okay. But again, I know my mind.

ALEX: Those are famous last words, Paisley.

She stared at the sentence, not sure how to reply. In the end, she put the phone down.

“We’re meeting before the screening,” she announced.

“What else did he say?” Lauren asked.

“Famous last words,” Paisley whispered.

Lauren swallowed a bite of pizza. “What?”

Paisley shook her head. “Nothing.”